By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
Tribune Staff Writer

WESTERNPORT – Concerns about water taps – for individuals and the town of Luke – dominated Monday night's meeting of the Westernport Mayor and Town Council.
With NewPage paper mill slated to shut down for three days next week to allow for routine maintenance, Westernport is once again preparing to deliver water to the community of 80 people, which normally receives its drinking water from a water plant at the mill.
NewPage was idled twice earlier this year for week-long shutdowns related to the economic downturn, with an old water line tapped to temporarily supply Westernport water to the community. Under a decades-old arrangement whereby the mill provides water to the town, NewPage agreed to pay for the town's water use during the shutdown.
As Westernport grappled this summer with a budget crisis that forced the elimination of a seven positions in town government, as well as increases to water, sewer and garbage fees, town residents grew frustrated that officials could not provide an accounting for how much Luke paid for its water, or if they paid at all.
“If they're going to get water, pay for it. That's how I feel,” Westernport resident William Metz said Monday night.
In response to such concerns, Councilman Darrell Stephen reported at the meeting that NewPage paid Westernport $507 for Luke’s  water use during the first weeklong shutdown, in May.
However, Luke's exact consumption during that week was not known. The bill was based on an estimate of 40,000 gallons per day, which Westernport officials arrived at by comparing use during the shutdown to overall use when Luke was not hooked up to the town's system.
While town officials argued that the estimate likely skewed to Westernport's favor, residents felt otherwise, and questioned the council members as to why a meter was not installed on the line feeding Luke.
Councilman Tuck Martin, commissioner of water, said Westernport is looking to become a regional water supplier, and is seeking grants to provide permanent connections to both Luke and Bloomington. He said installing a $1,400 meter on the temporary line now being used is not worth the effort, as the line will likely be replaced as part of future upgrades.
Residents disagreed, noting that NewPage would be billed for the meter, which could be taken out of the current line when a new connection was made. Residents accused Martin, a NewPage employee, of angling to provide water to Luke at no cost.
“We don't give away water,” Martin said in response. “Never have, never will.”
From the issue of a water meter for Luke, discussion Monday night turned to the lack of individual meters on many Westernport residences. About 465 homes in Westernport do not have water meters, and pay a flat monthly rate regardless of consumption. Another 79 homes have malfunctioning meters and also pay a flat rate.
In another recurring theme, residents who have meters on their homes complained Monday of the disparity in treatment.
“My (unmetered) neighbors across the street can run all the water they want...,” Metz said. “That's something the commissioners should look into.”
Metz noted an article in the News-Tribune last week that reported a drastic drop in consumption along Keyser's Limestone Road after a half-dozen homes that had received free water for years, were finally metered. Keyser officials said consumption in the area dropped from 20,000 gallons a day to 5,500.
“Look at how many thousands of gallons of water they're saving in Keyser because of water meters,” he said.
Westernport officials had recently announced plans to remove meters from vacant homes and install them in unmetered homes that have pools. They said Monday that the town has applied for grants to replace water lines and install meters throughout the town. But if the grants aren't approved, council members said, the town cannot afford to install the meters on its own.
“It would be several hundred thousand dollars to meter every home,” Stephen said.